PACIFIC LIFE OPEN

March 21, 2008

David Nalbandian

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You served for the match at 6-5 in the third set. Did
you expect to close it out at that point? It had been a
pretty tight match.
DAVID NALBANDIAN: Well, of course. The third set was very
tight. We didn't break each other until the end. I think he
played a very good game at that moment. He just do one easy
mistake and then he played great. Not much to do, except
that maybe I have to play more with the first serve in that
moment but he played great.

Q. Were you at all surprised about how well Fish has been
playing? I mean, he had struggled the last few years, and
he's having a pretty good start to the year. Was anything
out there about him surprising to you?
DAVID NALBANDIAN: No. He's always dangerous. On this
surface, when surface fast, he's very dangerous all the
time. So it's not -- it's not strange for me that see him
play like that.

Q. About you, he just said -- of course, he has to play
Federer next. He said, I just beat a guy who beat him,
meaning Federer, the past two times. I feel like I feel I
can beat anybody right now. Do you feel he's right in that?
Do you feel that Fish is playing so well right now that he
could beat anybody?
DAVID NALBANDIAN: You have to see tomorrow what's going on.
It's not easy to win a lot of matches with good guys in a
row, but if he play like today, why not?

Q. Would you mind giving us your thoughts about the
semifinals here?
DAVID NALBANDIAN: Well, it would be tight for all of them.
Rafa and Djokovic was the final last year, so it's going to
be very tough, interesting.
Federer's match will be more serves and more short points,
so it's going to be different but will be tight, too.

Q. You know, it's hard to beat Federer any time. But how
much harder do you think it will be for Fish since Federer
didn't have to play today? He had a day off.
DAVID NALBANDIAN: Well, it's tough to say. Roger, he didn't
play long match for all the tournaments so far, and Mardy
play long match against Hewitt and against me, so maybe he's
a little tired.
You never know. Semifinals you have to serve well to beat
all the match. I don't know. Have to work on it.

Q. How would you evaluate your performance here in this
tournament?
DAVID NALBANDIAN: Well, I try to expect to be a little
farther, but the first two matches was very complicated both
times. I served two quick matches that made me confidence,
and then again with Ferrero I play much better, feel much
better on the court, and today could have made it but -- I
feel I played good today. It was a little windy, so it was a
bit tough. I'm going to Miami that I play good tennis here.

Q. 2007 didn't seem to start out well for you, but then
you really turned it around in the second half of the season
and have been playing very well so far in 2008. What's made
the difference for you?
DAVID NALBANDIAN: Nothing. Just playing, be concentrate on
the court. It's normal that tennis players or sportsmen that
you can't be always 100 percent on the court. Sometimes you
win; sometimes you lose. Simple. The season is so long. You
can't play great all the time.

Q. Were you looking forward to playing Roger again and
maybe beating him a third time in a row?
DAVID NALBANDIAN: Why not?

Q. Do you have some insight or some secrets on how that's
done?
DAVID NALBANDIAN: Yeah.

Q. Would you like to share them or something?
DAVID NALBANDIAN: No.

Q. So you really think you could beat him again? You're
looking forward to it?
DAVID NALBANDIAN: Uh-huh.